Tuesday, July 27, 2010

The Salvation Army’s mission statement declares we serve to “meet human need.” Sometimes this looks like providing for the moment’s immediate need, and other times it means providing with a long term perspective by empowering the disadvantaged with the knowledge to better sustain themselves.

New York’s Newsday.com highlighted a great local Salvation Army response that morphed into an initiative to do both.

When calls from thousands of laid-off workers seeking financial aid inundated the office of Charles Roberts, Area Coordinator for The Salvation Army in Suffolk County, NY, Roberts recognized an opportunity to serve an overwhelming need shared by the community. He knew limited grant funds from Target would help cover some callers’ financial burdens, but Roberts wanted to provide a more valuable resource that would last beyond the next bill.

That’s where he found the inspiration for Families@Home, a financial mentoring program that matches families from Suffolk County with a financial expert in addition to offering monetary assistance towards bills. The idea is to meet emergency needs while also providing knowledgeable professionals to guide families in making wise choices in the long-term.

Read NewsDay.com’s full coverage of the story here: ‘Salvation Army offers financial mentoring’

Many members of the community have taken advantage of the program, but it’s reported funding has almost run out. If you would like to support The Salvation Army’s service to those in financial need, contact The Salvation Army in Suffolk County, NY at 631-363-6100.

Monday, July 26, 2010

There’s only one week left to help The Salvation Army ‘Refresh’ Detroit, so be sure to get your votes in (remember, 1 vote per cause each day)!

The Salvation Army of Metro Detroit has a great idea to use $250,000 of Pepsi Refresh Project grant funds to serve members of their community who are most in need. They’ve set up a plan to provide an additional 55,254 meals and 1,000 more nights of shelter to homeless and at-risk individuals and families. You can find all the details of the proposal at http://www.refresheverything.com/salmich.

The Salvation Army of Detroit is one of the top organizations in the running and needs the support of online voters to earn the grant. If you’d like to support The Salvation Army’s work in supporting families and individuals in need, just follow these easy steps:

1. Visit their proposal page under the ‘Food and Shelter’ category at http://www.refresheverything.com/salmich.
2. Click ‘Vote for This Idea’
3. Follow the prompts

Thanks for your support!

For more information about how The Salvation Army of Metro Detroit is “doing the most good,” visit their website at www.salmich.org or find them on Facebook and Twitter @salmich.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

This summer in Glendale, California, one family made a seemingly ordinary move into a new 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment within a small complex pleasantly named Chester Village.

However, for this mother, this was an extraordinary event as it was the first time in several years that she and her young children were finally all living together under one roof. For her, this new home represented a world of fresh beginnings and opportunities after overcoming substance abuse and homelessness, struggles that contributed to the state at one point removing her children from her care. But now, after showing her commitment to stay clean, she’s found a chance to turn her life around and offer her family stability in their new home at Chester Village.

In fact, all the families living in the 4 unit complex of Chester Village share something in common with this experience of hardship. That’s because the apartments are a unique development by The Salvation Army of Glendale meant to house formerly homeless families in order to help them transition into a stable and self-sufficient lifestyle. To qualify for housing at least one parent must have a disability stemming from substance abuse, but in order to reside in the apartment they must also have completed a substance abuse program and commit to sobriety, as well as stay for 3-5 years and show a pursuit of more education or job skills training.

The Salvation Army, with the support of the city of Glendale, overcame many obstacles over several years before finally seeing Chester Village open to accept its first occupants, but just the impact it has had already in inspiring and transforming families once devoid of hope has made the pursuit worth it.

Read more details about Chester Village’s official opening and resident testimonies in an article featured by Glendale News-Press: An army of support

Additional information about how The Salvation Army’s Glendale Corps is doing the most good in their community can be found on their website at www.glendalecorps.org.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

When most young people hear the word “Compton,” the first thought that comes to mind is probably related to one or more of the prolific hip-hop artists who called it home. The city of Compton maintains a rich, although troubled, legacy of rappers and DJs who hail from its storied streets.

With music in the city’s blood, the local Salvation Army has geared their newest service initiative toward this part of the community’s culture by opening a new recording studio within The Salvation Army facility. Here, anyone is welcome to come in, sit down, and express themselves in verse. While most professional recording studios charge exorbitant usage fees , The Salvation Army’s studio offers recording services and use of their state of the art equipment for very nominal costs, making it attractive to a range of clients, from those with musical career aspirations to those newly or casually exploring music and recording.

Producer K9 talks about his involvement with The Salvation Army Compton’s new recording studio and the positive impact it has on the local community. Video: The Salvation Army’s Southern California Division.

Furthermore, it provides a safe environment for at-risk youth and individuals to get off the streets and away from the temptation of gangs, drugs, and violence. While these negative influences are glorified in many popular songs today, The Salvation Army in Compton requires that music recorded in their studio be ‘clean,’ or void of promoting such vices, so that their resources serve to build others up rather than tear them down.

To learn more about this cool initiative you can read the following article from the Los Angeles Wave that provides great insight into the founding and running of The Salvation Army’s recording studio: Salvation Army serves up rhymes in new recording studio

For more information about how The Salvation Army is serving Compton, visit their website at www.salvationarmy-compton.org.